WYS Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Emergency Response Training

September 1, 2021

As a 14 CFR Part 139 commercial service airport, the Yellowstone Airport is required to have Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) crews and apparatus during all air carrier operations. Additionally, the airport must conduct a full-scale training exercise every three years in order to meet all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements and regulations. The Yellowstone Airport conducted its full-scale emergency response training earlier this summer. This training event focused on the response times of the airport’s ARFF staff and other local mutual-aid agencies.

As part of the training exercise, a real fire was lit using pallets and an accelerant, which the Yellowstone ARFF crew doused in under three minutes. The ARFF crew then proceeded to assist other mutual-aid crews during a simulated airline crash, working to triage, treat, and transport volunteers who acted as injured survivors of the mock crash. All participants received training in communications, including contacting all outside agencies that would be required contacts in a real accident scenario, as well as scene control and proper incident command structure.